Grandparents Granted Visitation Rights in Ohio Child Custody Case

By Sheryl Rentz on September 1, 2010

We often assume that a child is best left in the care of his or her parents. However, when one or both parents has a relatively small role in a child’s upbringing, and other relatives, such as grandparents, accept the task of raising the child, the best interests of the child need to be thoroughly taken into account, particularly when it comes to custody and visitation rights. According to Ohio’s Dayton Daily News, a family law case involving a young girl, her maternal grandparents, and her father illustrates how important it is that all details are carefully examined when it comes to providing a child with a healthy home environment.

Reportedly, after the 8-year-old’s mother passed away, her grandparents, whom the girl and her mother had already been living with, were contacted by the young girl’s father, who requested that visitation with his daughter resume. The girl’s grandparents obliged, but were soon blindsided when the girl’s father acquired a court order for his daughter to begin living with him and his new wife. After much debate, the girl’s grandparents were awarded visitation rights every other weekend.

Unfortunately, this story represents how difficult it can sometimes be for grandparents or other relatives to attain custody of a child when a birth parent is alive and capable of taking care of the child, regardless of whether or not the birth parent had been a major part of the child’s life up to that point. In Pennsylvania, laws surrounding visitation rights are very complicated, and it is advised that those seeking such rights seek out assistance from an experienced family law attorney.

At the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz, our skilled Pennsylvania visitation rights attorneys will fight to ensure that your rights are not neglected in a court of law. The best interests of a child are of the utmost importance and those interests will be protected at all times. For more information about visitation rights, call 610-645-0100. Contact us today for free consultation of your Philadelphia visitation rights case.